Road Trip June 18, 2008
Posted by Graham in : Gardens, General, Permaculture, Renewable Energy, Yurts , add a commentA recent trip up country took me first to Westport where I called in on the Sustainability Institute, home of the Irish Sustainability Magazine.
Right: Sustainability editor Andy Wilson hard at work
Andy Wilson’s creation of the Sustainability Magazine has been a remarkable achievement, bringing a much-needed serious journal into the Irish environmental landscape. Starting up a new magazine from scratch is no mean feat and the scholarly and well-researched articles on a wide range of topics is to be greatly welcomed. The third issue is out this week. (more…)
Charcoal Making at Manch June 8, 2008
Posted by Graham in : Food, Renewable Energy, Tools and technology , 4commentsI have recently been experimenting with some simple charcoal making in an oil drum. I did a couple of demonstrations a few weeks ago for first a Biodiversity day and second the Slow Food “Munch at the Manch” events at the Manch Forestry project, near Dunmanway.
Charcoal will potentially play an important role in the post-oil world, with many important uses including for use on a blacksmith’s forge-i it burns much hotter than wood; I have read that it can even reach welding temperatures. (more…)
Pedal Power February 15, 2008
Posted by Graham in : Renewable Energy , 1 comment so farI had the pleasure of visiting the Cork Community Bike project in Cork City the other day where I found Garrett Blake and Rob in the workshop. 
Both have been to the inspiring Maya Pedal Project in Guatamala which has created a great range of pedal powered machines including grinders, mills, pumps and generators. This is exactly the kind of appropriate and sustainable, empowering technology we should be focusing on more, rather than putting all our faith in high-tech solutions such as thin-film solar
Garrett, who has a Masters in Sustainable Energy from UCC, founded the project three years ago to promote training and facilities for bikes and pedal powered machines in Cork. From their website:
“Cork community bikes is developing a do-it-yourself bike workshop for the community to use. Our work aims to salvage unwanted bicycles from the waste stream, repair them and resell them. We work with local schools and youth groups promoting the use of bicycles and sustainable transport . We want the workshop to be a centre of training and a social focus for anybody with an interest in bicycles in the cork city.”
I had a go on their pedal-powered dynamo which can be used to power sound systems at festivals. This is something I could really do with, having limited power at home, for charging batteries. A good dynamo with a fit pedaler can generate something in the range of 100watts, enough to run a laptop computer for example.
Another good site with info on pedal powered dynamos can be found here.
Pedal power is of course a key part of any post-oil society and it is great to see projects like this springing up providing such tools and skills. All power to their pedals.
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Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society September 9, 2007
Posted by Graham in : Peak Oil, Permaculture, Renewable Energy , 6commentsBook Review:
Ted Trainer -
Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society
Springer 2007 hbck 197pp
Ted Trainer, of the University of New South Wales, has made a valuable contribution to the literature of energy and resource depletion with his new book Renewable Energy Cannot Sustain a Consumer Society.
The title says a lot I think. With the focus of most mainstream debate on peak oil and energy being on the supply side- the oil is running low so what are we going to use instead?- Trainer brings a refreshing approach in which he provides a detailed and technically comprehensive analyses of existing renewable energy options- including wind, solar thermal, solar electric, biomass and energy crops, and hydrogen, as well as a look at nuclear and the issue of storing energy- and concludes:
“…we could easily have an extremely low per capita rate of energy consumption, and footprint, based on local resources- but only if we undertake vast and radical change in economic, political, geographical and cultural systems.” (more…)
DIY Solar Panel September 6, 2007
Posted by Graham in : Green Building, Renewable Energy , 2commentsI have recently installed a DIY solar panel on the Permacabin (Timber framed cabin with all perma-cons):
This has been constructed using clip-fins from CAT and following instructions in their booklet Solar Water Heating- A DIY Guide by Paul Trimby. (more…)
